Policy & Political Action

Speaking Notes/Submissions

We are writing on behalf of our respective organizations about how Service Canada could improve access to Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPP-D) benefits by adopting a more consistent and inter-professional approach which allows registered nurses (RN) and nurse practitioners (NP) to complete CPP-D medical reports without restrictions.

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) recently had the privilege of meeting with the Hon. David Orazietti, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, about ways to improve health outcomes and improve human rights within correctional facilities. Minister Orazietti suggested we speak to you about these ideas to address the severe health inequities affecting some of Ontario's most marginalized people.

RNAO is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. We appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback on regulation proposal 16-HLTC011 pertaining to the Quality of Care Information Protection Act, 2016 (QCIPA)

My name is Carol Timmings. I am a registered nurse and the president of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. As the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario, we thank you for the opportunity to provide advice regarding Bill 41.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses (RN), nurse practitioners (NP) and nursing students in all settings and roles across Ontario. RNAO extends its gratitude to the standing committee for the opportunity to review Bill 41: Patients First Act, 2016 and offer recommendations to enhance it.

Many thanks for inviting us to speak with you on October 19. We had an excellent conversation and as requested we are following up in writing.

On October 7, Health Minister Hoskins released an open letter to you, seeking a value assessment of Ontario’s e-health assets and recommendations on maximizing the value of those assets “by improving how care is delivered, the patient experience in interacting with the health care system and, indirectly, through the economic value that is created for Ontario's economy.” You were approached in your capacity as the Premier’s Business Advisor and Chair of the Advisory Council on Government Assets.

Thank you for meeting with representatives of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) on October 27 2016. We appreciated your receptivity as we discussed our concerns with the College of Nurses of Ontario’s requirement for registered nurses (RN) to obtain an order to initiate psychotherapy once it is proclaimed a controlled act.

Requiring an RN to obtain an order to initiate psychotherapy will only create another barrier to accessing to mental health services and hinder interprofessional collaboration due to blurred accountabilities. RNAO firmly believes if an RN has the competencies, knowledge and skills, to perform psychotherapy as part of his or her practice, that same RN is competent to initiate psychotherapy or refer the individual for more appropriate treatment and/or to another health provider.

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students, appreciates recent changes by the government of Ontario to make documents used for identification more inclusive of people with transgender and non-binary gender identity. The introduction of a gender-neutral health card with a person's sex no longer listed, occurring from June 13, 2016 onward, and the option to display an X on a driver's licence as a gender identifier, beginning in early 2017, are progressive changes to be welcomed.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses (RN), nurse practitioners (NP) and nursing students in all settings and roles across Ontario. RNAO congratulates the Special Advisors of the Changing Workplaces Review for their comprehensive interim report. This is the first step towards modernizing labour relations and employment standards legislation in light of changes in the workplace that weaken existing legislative protections for many people.

Congratulations on furthering negotiations for the next Canadian Health Accord. The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) sees this as a golden opportunity to build the next phase of our publicly-funded and not-for-profit health system. RNs, NPs, and nursing students urge you to use your meeting on October 18th to successfully negotiate a new agreement that: